1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to frames for lifting and placement of seabed mats and particularly to concrete seabed mats.
2. Review of the Prior Art
Various types of mats have been used to provide stabilization and protection to underwater pipes and other seabed installations. Particularly, articulated mats are used for off shore coastal and marine applications where separation, stabilization, protection and scour prevention is needed for pipelines and underwater installations. Hydrodynamic forces, which are generated by the bottom currents and waves, create a need for a stabilization technique, such as a seabed mat. Prevention of erosion of the adjoining seabed is also another benefit created by a seabed mat.
Many of the difficulties associated with the prior art lifting and placement devices of seabed mats are identified in U.S. Pat. No. 6,139,220, which includes the difficulty of obtaining accurate placement of the mat, tangling of multiple releasing aligning guides, slow release of the mat once it has been properly positioned and pollution to the environment. In placements of seabed mats, it is essential that a mat be able to be released simply, accurately and timely. Additionally, given that the mats are typically placed in an underwater setting, the process of connecting the mat to the lifting and placement device must also be a simple and safe process.
Typically, in the field, seabed mats are stacked upon each other, several layers high. The lifting and placement device is then maneuvered to the top mat. Climbing up on these stacked mats to connect the lifting device to the mat presents a dangerous situation when working in a wet and turbulent environment such as a boat in the middle of the ocean or other large body of water. Therefore, there is a need for a lifting and placement device for seabed mats that allow for a safe and easy way to connect the mat to the lifting device, without endangering the individual performing the task.
The present invention provide a lifting and placement device for concrete seabed mats having a frame for supporting the mats and a release mechanism which adequately supports the mats on opposite sides of the frame and which proves stable when supporting the heavy material.
The present invention further provides for a lifting and placement device for seabed mats which has an actuation lever and in which the design allows for multiple lifting devices to be placed in end to end relationship.
All of the above outlined objectives are to be understood as exemplary only and many more objectives of the invention may be gleaned from the disclosure herein. Therefore, no limiting interpretation of the objectives noted are to be understood without further reading of the entire specification and drawings included herewith.